Season preview: Phoenix to groom new leaders in women’s basketball

Published: Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 12:40 AM.

ELON — The voices of leadership, not to mention the faces of production, have changed on the Elon women’s basketball team, with two of the most prominent performers in school history having departed.

And that makes this season — coach Charlotte Smith’s third year in charge and Elon’s final campaign in the Southern Conference — a collective effort, said guard Kelsey Harris, the Phoenix’s lone senior.

Gone are Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans, Mt. Rushmore-type players during the four previous seasons.

Ford became the program’s No. 2 all-time scorer while Evans finished third in career rebounding and sixth in scoring.

“I was with them for a long time,” Harris said. “For me, I have to become more of a leader this year. Me, Sam (Coffer), Zora (Stephenson), the upperclassmen in general, have to be more vocal.”

Harris has started 62 of Elon’s 63 games the last two seasons and has built a multi-faceted reputation. She ranked third on the team in scoring (9 points per game) and second in rebounds (6.2), assists (2.4) and steals (1.9) last season.

Stephenson, a junior guard, is a long-range threat. She connected on 67 field goals last season, with 46 of them coming from beyond the 3-point arc, and contributed 6 points per game.

Coffer, a junior forward and two-year starter, should provide inside-outside dependability. She chipped in 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game a season ago.

“It’s definitely different,” sophomore forward Autumn Carter said of playing without Ford and Evans. “But a lot of our upperclassmen have stepped up. We all have different strengths and I think we all know who can capitalize on their strengths.”

Carter, from Rockingham County High School, shined down low with 24 points in last weekend’s exhibition rout of Pfeiffer. That represented a substantial increase from her season high of eight points as a freshman.

Sophomore guard Jessica Farmer (4 points per game last season) could be poised to take a leap forward. Junior center Shannen Cochraham (3.7 points per game) brings muscle on the interior.

Lenaira Ruffin, a freshman out of River Mill, figures to lend depth at guard.

Freshman forward Mackenzie Darrah and junior forward Candace Silas are out indefinitely with knee injuries, and sophomore point guard Nicole Razor isn’t expected back until next month due to a hip problem.

It has been a preseason marked by injury issues, Smith said. Coffer (foot) and Farmer (back) have been limited, too, though both are expected to be ready for Friday’s season opener.

“I think we’ve done a great job of maintaining a great mental focus and stamina under the circumstances,” Smith said. “We’ve had great practices under the circumstances. Almost every day it’s been a shift and different personnel. I think we’ve done a great job of everybody coming each day prepared to practice at a different position if need be.”

ELON — The voices of leadership, not to mention the faces of production, have changed on the Elon women’s basketball team, with two of the most prominent performers in school history having departed.

And that makes this season — coach Charlotte Smith’s third year in charge and Elon’s final campaign in the Southern Conference — a collective effort, said guard Kelsey Harris, the Phoenix’s lone senior.

Gone are Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans, Mt. Rushmore-type players during the four previous seasons.

Ford became the program’s No. 2 all-time scorer while Evans finished third in career rebounding and sixth in scoring.

“I was with them for a long time,” Harris said. “For me, I have to become more of a leader this year. Me, Sam (Coffer), Zora (Stephenson), the upperclassmen in general, have to be more vocal.”

Harris has started 62 of Elon’s 63 games the last two seasons and has built a multi-faceted reputation. She ranked third on the team in scoring (9 points per game) and second in rebounds (6.2), assists (2.4) and steals (1.9) last season.

Stephenson, a junior guard, is a long-range threat. She connected on 67 field goals last season, with 46 of them coming from beyond the 3-point arc, and contributed 6 points per game.

Coffer, a junior forward and two-year starter, should provide inside-outside dependability. She chipped in 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game a season ago.

“It’s definitely different,” sophomore forward Autumn Carter said of playing without Ford and Evans. “But a lot of our upperclassmen have stepped up. We all have different strengths and I think we all know who can capitalize on their strengths.”

Carter, from Rockingham County High School, shined down low with 24 points in last weekend’s exhibition rout of Pfeiffer. That represented a substantial increase from her season high of eight points as a freshman.

Sophomore guard Jessica Farmer (4 points per game last season) could be poised to take a leap forward. Junior center Shannen Cochraham (3.7 points per game) brings muscle on the interior.

Lenaira Ruffin, a freshman out of River Mill, figures to lend depth at guard.

Freshman forward Mackenzie Darrah and junior forward Candace Silas are out indefinitely with knee injuries, and sophomore point guard Nicole Razor isn’t expected back until next month due to a hip problem.

It has been a preseason marked by injury issues, Smith said. Coffer (foot) and Farmer (back) have been limited, too, though both are expected to be ready for Friday’s season opener.

“I think we’ve done a great job of maintaining a great mental focus and stamina under the circumstances,” Smith said. “We’ve had great practices under the circumstances. Almost every day it’s been a shift and different personnel. I think we’ve done a great job of everybody coming each day prepared to practice at a different position if need be.”